Veteran chef takes over Domaine Hudson kitchen

Executive chef Dwain Kalup, whose critically acclaimed cooking at Domaine Hudson was recognized by the country's most prestigious culinary organization, has left the Wilmington restaurant.

Kalup's last day at the 1314 Washington St. eatery was Saturday, Jan. 27. He and his wife are relocating to Arizona.

Kalup will be working at  LON’s restaurant at The Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Patrick D'Amico, a veteran Delaware chef who has worked at a variety of Wilmington restaurants, will be replacing Kalup on Feb. 1.

Kalup has been Domaine Hudson's executive chef since September 2013. Not long after taking over the kitchen, he was turning out some of the finest and most elegant food in Wilmington, if not the state.

During several visits in 2014 for a restaurant review, I found Domaine Hudson to be one of Delaware's must-visit restaurants, especially for wine lovers and those who appreciate impeccable service.

In 2017, he was a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic region. Beard Awards are widely considered the country's highest culinary honors.  

This year, James Beard semifinalists will be announced on Feb. 15.

Kalup came to Domaine Huson from Chicago's Blackbird restaurant, but he also had hometown experience. He was chef de cuisine at Kid Shelleen's. Before that, he worked at Harry's Savoy Grill and Harry's Seafood Grill.

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The 2004 Art Institute of Philadelphia graduate also worked at Philadelphia's City Tavern with celebrity chef Walter Staib.

D’Amico is known for stints at the Hotel du Pont, Harry’s Savoy Grill and as the opening chef at Eclipse Bistro in Wilmington.

D'Amico left Harry's Savoy Grill in 2015 when he helped open Metro Pub & Grill, the Middletown eatery owned by the RM Hospitality Group.

It apparently was a rocky tenure for D’Amico, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, who also has been a semifinalist for a James Beard Award for Best Mid-Atlantic Chef. 

He departed the hospitality group in January 2017. 

 "It came down to seeing eye-to-eye with Metro. It was my thing and all of the sudden, it wasn't," D'Amico said in an April 2017 interview with The News Journal.

D'Amico's most recent chef position was at the Bayard House in Chesapeake City, Maryland.  

Wilmington's restaurant industry is frequently intertwining and Kalup and D'Amico have crossed paths before. 

The chefs had worked together at Harry's Savoy Grill.  D’Amico recommended Kalup to Domaine Hudson owners Mike and Beth Ross when the couple was looking for a new executive chef for their restaurant, considered one of the best in Delaware.

When Kalup got married this past October in Arizona, D'Amico filled in for the chef at Domaine Hudson. 

D'Amico's return to Wilmington reunites him with Domaine general manager and server Javier Matamoros. The men had worked together years earlier at Positano, an acclaimed Wilmington Italian restaurant that was located in The Devon on Wilmington's Pennsylvania Avenue. The eatery is now home to Sugarfoot Cafe.

Domaine Hudson owner Mike Ross first met D’Amico and Matamoros at Positano, where he was frequent customer.

"We sincerely wish Dwain all the best in his new endeavors in Arizona.  His time with us has been so enjoyable and rewarding for Domaine Hudson, and his inventive cuisine has pleased our customers time and again,” said Domaine Hudson co-owner Beth Ross. 

Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico